𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves³

20│WE GO SPELUNKING INTO OBLIVION

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘ. ᴘᴀɴ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ᴡᴇ ɢᴏ sᴘᴇʟᴜɴᴋɪɴɢ
ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴏʙʟɪᴠɪᴏɴ꒱


❝ WE WAIT FOR THE END ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

When they entered the Hotel, the trio was greeted by cheers and whistles from the assembled family members. While they had spent most of the night. . . together, Five and Alexa had made a trip back downstairs for alcohol, where they'd proceeded to get very drunk. (This was why they'd been trying to remember what happened during the evening prior to their conversation with Reginald.)

"Here he is!" Luther exclaimed brightly as he clapped along with his siblings.

"That speech last night, wow!" Diego added.

"Brought me to tears, you big softy," Lila chimed in.

Viktor was the least mocking: "I especially liked it when you referred to us as a family bound by destiny and love."

The girl exchanged a look with her boyfriend, but where his was bordering on embarrassed, hers was full of amused affection. She leaned towards him to murmur: "too bad no one was recording it— that's something I would've liked to see."

She couldn't help the few chuckles that escaped past her lips as his ears burned read. He avoided everyone's eyes as he led her to take a seat on the chair. "Okay, enough. That was the booze talking. In the light of day you're all still deplorable." Already expecting protest from the blonde, he finished quietly: "you know that doesn't include you, Lexa."

Smiling in a self-satisfied way, she moved to stand behind the boy while he took a seat. Alexa rested her hands on his shoulders (the only form of PDA that would be acceptable with this particular audience) as their father spoke: "and your day's about to get worse. The Norse had eight sleepers. The Blackfoot, eight stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the eight bells. All these stories are the same: the village is under threat by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them if they can ring the eight magic bells, the village will be saved and all will be restored just as it was."

Lila raised her hand lazily from where her head was resting on Diego's lap. "Reggie? Can we get a little less Brothers Grimm and a little more 'what the hell does this have to do with us?'"

"There is a truth to these myths," he answered sternly. "None of you can deny what's going on around us. All of existence will be gone by the end of the day but whoever or whatever wove together space and time, they left a way to put things back together if the universe ever faced total annihilation. There is a portal in the universe. I built this hotel around it and on the other side is the answer."

Luther didn't seem to be convinced. "And. . . we're supposed to, what? Just stroll in there, ring some bells and fix this shit?"

"It can't be that easy," Alexa said, causing her brother to turn to her. "There's always a catch to these magical quests."

"That would be correct, Alexandra," Reginald agreed. "The obstacle in this case is called the guardian."

"What kind of guardian?" Viktor asked.

Diego lifted his injured hand. "Kinda guardian that does this. He has a sword."

"It is a force to be reckoned with."

"See? Yeah. This is where you lose me," Luther cut in.

Lila seemed surprised. "This is where he loses you? I checked out at the sacred cave."